Business - Events

Known for its creative and educational approach to trade show exhibits, Agfa Graphics North America is raising the bar at SGIA with hardware, software and consumable introductions designed to open new revenue streams.

To illustrate the creativity and possibilities of the Agfa Graphics portfolio, the company will debut the Surf N’ Crab Application Zone which simulates a seafood bar and surf shop. The Surf N’ Crab offers a fun, colourful, simulated crab shack/surf shop experience and features vibrant graphics entirely created with digital and inkjet technologies. The booth will also showcase technology from entry level to high volume production.

For the first time in the U.S., attendees can see demonstrations of the Anapurna M3200i RTR, a heavy duty, 6-color (CMYKLcLm), 3.2m wide roll-to-roll UV-curable printing system. The M3200i RTR produces indoor and outdoor applications on flexible media such as fabric, canvas, vinyl and more. The dual roll option makes it possible to simultaneously print jobs on two rolls of the same media type, each up to 60 inches wide.

SGIA attendees looking to open new revenue streams can also find new printing solutions from MGI-USA, a leading provider of digital presses and finishing solutions. Agfa Graphics became MGI’s only national distributor last month and quickly incorporated demonstrations of high margin and added value products into the booth. The Meteor DP8700 XL+ is a versatile, cost-effective digital press that produces a wide range of high-quality products quickly and efficiently. It has true multi-substrate capabilities for paper, plastics and envelopes, laser safe prints, and offset comparable output with expanded sizes up to 13x47”.

The JETvarnish 3D takes digital spot UV coating to a new dimension featuring increased throughput for flat spot UV applications and visually stunning 3D raised effects on POP and POS signage. The iFOIL digital embossing and hot foil stamping solution eliminates the need for films, dies and makeready, allowing for highly profitable hot foil stamping and embossing work that engage both visual and tactile senses.

Additionally, visitors to SGIA will be able to experience the following at the Agfa Graphics booth:

• HP’s Latex 360 6-colour, 64-inch printer produces indoor and outdoor prints on a variety of traditional signage substrates
• Epson’s F7070 is a 64-inch wide dye-sub transfer printer for industrial textile manufacturing. Combined with the AIT 7300IJO heat transfer press, it produces fabric output at up to 720x1440 dpi.
• Asanti Suite is Agfa Graphics’ sign and display PDF workflow specifically designed to help wide-format printers maintain consistency and to optimize productivity throughout the printing process.
• Asanti Storefront, part of the Asanti Suite, is a cloud-based web-to-print solution that enables print service providers (PSPs) to set up web stores. The newest version of Asanti StoreFront makes it easier to customize print.
• Dreamscape media featuring unique vinyls and fabrics for custom wall graphics. The textured surfaces may be digitally imprinted, opening the doors into the décor market.
• 3D Systems line of 3D printers, ranging from personal to industrial use and offering choices in materials, colours and speeds.

Agfa Graphics solutions will be in booth #2019 at SGIA 2014, being held from October 22-24 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Drytac Europe has announced it will be exhibiting at the 2014 SGIA Expo (Las Vegas, October 22-24) on booth #753.

Visitors to Drytac’s stand will be able to discover how to create versatile environments with bright, bold graphics printed on the latest Drytac window, wall and floor media. ViziPrint Impress, ReTac, FloorTac and speciality solutions including dry erase, chalkboard and backlit film will be showcased the exhibition, alongside Drytac’s JetMounter roller laminators.

The company’s senior European executives will also be present at the Expo and are looking to recruit quality international business partners to further boost the company’s global sales.
Steve Broad, Sales Director for Drytac Europe, comments: “We’re looking forward to showcasing our very latest solutions at the SGIA Expo.  We are also keen to meet with potential partners from across the globe that can help us take these exciting new solutions into untapped markets.”

To arrange a meeting with Drytac Europe prior to the event, please email stevebroad@drytac.com

For further information on Drytac and its leading range of films and adhesives, please visit www.drytac.co.uk

Roland DG (UK) will be using its attendance at Newtech Wetherby – the latest in the series of Wide Format Printing, Displays and Finishing roadshows - to demonstrate to visitors the extraordinary range of applications that can be produced using a Roland machine.  The free-to-attend event, on Tuesday 30^th September and Wednesday 1^st October, will showcase two of Roland’s most popular wide format inkjet printer/cutters: the latest addition to the world’s bestselling print & cut family – the VersaCAMM VS-i series and powerful workhorse, the SOLJET PRO4 XR-640.

Says Rob Goleniowski, Sign and Graphics Business Manager at Roland DG UK: “The Wetherby show is the second in the series we have exhibited at this year. This time around, we are focusing heavily on applications, demonstrating to visitors just how versatile our portfolio of machines are and critically how they can be used to add profitable new revenue streams to their business.

“Every printer and sign maker needs to find a competitive edge to ensure they keep their customers interested, engaged and coming back time after time.  Our versatile print and cut technologies offer an exhaustive range of high value applications,  so users and their customers are only limited by their creative imagination – if they can think it they can probably produce it on a Roland DG integrated print & cut machine.”

“We’ll also be demonstrating to visitors how a new Roland could pay for itself in as little as 3 weeks!”

Offering CMYK as well as white and metallic ink printing, both the VersaCAMM VS-i series and the SOLJET PRO4 XR-640 provide printers and sign makers with the ultimate in high quality, flexible wide format printing across a variety of profitable outdoor and indoor applications.  In addition to labels, signs and banners, users can quickly and efficiently produce contour-cut window, floor and exhibition graphics, vehicle graphics and wraps, retail point of sale displays, heat transfers for garment decoration and much more.

Roland’s integrated print & cut technology further enhances productivity by enabling the printing, repositioning and cutting of even the most complex and intricate graphics with great accuracy of detail and the highest quality finish – all on the same machine. This frees the operator up to get on with the next job and maximises their investment, as only one machine and one maintenance contract is required.

And, for those looking to print an even broader range of applications, Roland’s VersaUV LEF-20 desktop flatbed printer will also be in full demonstration mode throughout the two days of the show.  Perfect as a short run, high value alternative to screen and pad printing, the LEF-20 prints onto virtually any object and any substrate up to 100mm thick, and can turn plain objects into highly profitable and highly personalised items - perfect for promotional and novelty goods, giftware, consumer items, industrial parts and packaging prototypes.

“All these machines offer flexibility without compromise,” continues Rob Goleniowski, “which is the key to ensuring our customers can enhance their product portfolio and add value and profit to their businesses.  I’m looking forward to introducing customers from right across the north of England to Roland DG and discussing how we can work with them to transform and grow their businesses through investing in outstanding wide format technology.”

Other exhibitors include Action Illustrated, Deco Network, Dorotape, Goccopro 100, Mid West Displays,Mounter’s Mate,The Magic Touch, Ralawise, Resolute DTG, Ultima Displays, Wicked Printing Stuff.

The Wide Format Printing, Displays and Finishing Show is free to attend. For further information and registration visit http://www.co-opevents.com/event/wetherby-2014/

Frazer Chesterman, Director at FM Brooks and LFR guest blogger, talks about the highlights at the recent Unitex 3rd International Digital textile conference...

Last week, I attended the excellent Unitex 3rd International Digital textile conference at University college, Gent entitled: 'The Change is clear from Analog to Digital.'

The afternoon session on day one - hosted by John Scrimshaw of WTIN - was all about industrial print. The key focus was on two aspects that are re-shaping the textile print industry: that digital print is going industrial; and that there is a trend in ‘re-shoring’ - the return to Europe of printing on textile.

Speakers from Mimaki, SPGprints, Sensient, Reggiani and Zimmer all talked about general trends and new developments in digital textile machines in industrial applications which sees a transition from short-run sampling to high-speed mass customisation.

However, the presentation that resonated with me was the one by Omer Kulka of Kornit Digital who talked about a couple of new products and then went on to explain more about the trend towards re-shoring and particularly the return of production to Italy.

Kornit Digital highlighted two key members of its new digital textile portfolio - Kornit Avalanche 1000 and the Kornit Breeze.

The Avalanche 1000 is Kornit's fastest industrial t-shirt and garment printer, while the Breeze is an entry-level machine. Both the machines incorporate Spectra Polaris printheads. The Avalanche 1000 employs 24 printheads and the Breeze six, with 256 nozzles per head. The overall printing area for Avalanche is 60x90cms and Breeze is 35x45cms.

Both the machines are based on Kornit's NeoPigment ink process, the only technology that print on multiple fabrics, dark and white with no pre-treatment or post-print press required, claims the company.

Their breakthrough in DTG solution offers businesses not only superior print quality and reliability, but also the ability to customise, organise and manage their valuable design assets, orders and inventory, thus enabling them to capitalise on new market opportunities for increased profit and growth.

So what do they mean by new markets ? Well 20 years ago the trend in textile print and production had gone offshore away from the key consumer markets towards cheaper mass production locations – for example a shift towards production in China, India or Central/South America.

However, broad developments in the digital print technology and shifts in consumer demand towards fast fashion and ‘I want it now’ demands of the younger IPAD generation of consumers means that where possible if we can print and produce closer to the customer, we reduce down cost and time and respond to consumer demand quickly and ever changing tastes.

In particular, the fashion industry demands the quick turnaround that Inkjet can offer and this is effectively changing the market. A number of our InPrint 2014 exhibitors had previously endorsed this trend that I observed again last week in Gent. Alessandra Borghi at Kiian Digital Inks explained to me in April in Hannover: "For retailers like Zara, they need to be able to respond to fashion tastes far more locally, and in line with a constantly evolving landscape. So mass production, that is quite slow to respond and that has a general approach, does not provide retailers with the right local style or response time they need."

Tim Phillips from Xennia also highlighted the advantages of Inkjet for the textile printing industry in reducing the risk of getting it wrong, avoid the huge costs in time and money of making mistakes whilst opening up a sea of new creative potential. Getting the design or colour wrong on a clothing print run could be a commercial disaster, inkjet allow you greater flexibility to avoid such calamity.

Perhaps a revolution is on the horizon, certainly there is a sense that the fashion and textile printing world is getting excited by digital!

About Frazer Chesterman:
Frazer Chesterman is Co-owner and Director of FM Brooks, the new event business behind EcoPrint Live 2012 and InPrint 2014.  The second InPrint Live event is scheduled for November 2015 in Messe Munich.  For more information on the event, please visit www.inprintlive.com 

Graphic Printing Technologies (GPT) has announced that it is hosting 'PrintoberFest' - the October Festival of Signs, Display and Graphics Applications - at its office in Reading. The event will be held on 8th and 9th October and is an excellent opportunity to see the latest products, meet with industry and product experts and enjoy some unbeatable event-only offers.

Shaun Thompson, general manager of GPT, comments: “This year will be our biggest and best event yet, with particular emphasis on the launch of our massive MACtac range of consumables. There will be live demonstrations of vehicle wrapping, wallpaper applications and much more by MACtac’s own professionals. Also at the event will be KAPAtech’s range of lightweight foam boards, which perfectly complement our industrial print solution comprising the Mimaki JFX 200 and Esko Kongsberg XP digital cutter.”

In addition, the brand new Mimaki JV300 will be making one if it’s first UK appearances. “We encourage people to book early to make sure they have the time to see this exciting new product with our team. There will also be some unbelievable offers only available on orders placed on the day,” adds Thompson.

Other products on show include printers from Epson, Canon and more. GPT also expects to make some big new product announcements at the event.

Thompson concludes: “There will be lots of giveaways, massive discounts, media samples, additional warranties and – because it’s PrintoberFest – some sausages and beer!”

To register for the event, please visit www.g-p-t.co.uk/PrintoberFest

Visitors to FESPA China 2014 (Poly World Trade Expo Center Pazhou, Guangzhou, China), will find an international line-up of speakers at its Global Forum conference from 19 – 20 November 2014.

Global Forum will bring together industry professionals from the screen, digital and textile wide format printing sectors. The seminars on day one of Global Forum will focus on the innovation and development of textile printing. Speakers include Rong Hua, of Shanghai HK Digital Tech Co., Ltd who will discuss the development of cut-part digital printing. Also speaking are Mark Gervais, Director of Screen Print at Ningbo Shenzhou Knitting Company and Charlie Taublieb, international screen printing consultant.

The focus of day two at Global Forum, Thursday 20 November, is innovation and development of industrial printing. Speakers include Xin Guo Hua of Human Digital Tec Co., Ltd, who will be discussing the role of industrial printing with regards to ceramics. Robert Hsu, Consistent Electronic materials Inc., will be talking about photolithography and applications in the optoelectronic industry. The afternoon will see seminars on glass printing inks from He Ping of Hangzhou Kewang Inks Co, and touch screen printing from Denis Chen from Arma Co.

The conference programme reinforces the relevance of FESPA China as a specialist event for printers whose focus is on textile and industrial screen print applications, and those embracing digital production alternatives for these applications.

Returning to FESPA China 2014 is Charlie’s Corner, hosted by internationally renowned screen printing guru and regular FESPA contributor, Charlie Taublieb. Charlie will be sharing his expertise in garment decoration and textile printing through hands-on workshops throughout the event. The workshops will provide visitors with demonstrations of the latest textile printing techniques such as heat transfers, rhinestones and manual screen printing, enabling visitors to try their hand at these technologies.

After its debut at last year’s FESPA China 2013, the Wrap workshop will also return to Guangzhou. However, this year the educational demonstration feature will not just be wrapping cars; the onsite demonstrations given by vehicle wrap expert Ole Soleskin will show visitors the true possibilities of wrapping. Ole will wrap various items such as motor bikes, furniture and mannequins. Building on last year’s workshop, this year’s feature will show the true potential of wrapping to inspire printers to diversify into new and creative wrap applications.

FESPA Marketing Manager, Lynda Sutton, comments: “There’s a lot on offer for visitors to FESPA China and CSGIA 2014. Educational content plays a big part in all of our FESPA events. Seminars at FESPA China & CSGIA 2013 were well attended and 12% of visitors gave seminars as a key reason for attending, which underlines the appetite for education and best practice in the region.

Following last year’s inaugural show, we have built on these features to tailor them to the Chinese market and ensure they deliver the greatest benefit for visitors.”